Chapter Text
⋆ ---––——––-Chapter 1-––——––--- ⋆
⋆ ---––——––--Is She Right?--––——––--- ⋆
Soulmate marking?
When someone turns sixteen, they gain the ability to write to their soulmate. Anything one writes on their own skin will automatically appear on their soulmate’s skin too. The writing will not come off until the writer wipes it off.
No matter what color of a pen one uses to write on oneself, it will always be the same. Everyone has a color that is tied to the soul. Say if someone is tied to orange, their writing will always show as orange.
90% chance of a person having a soulmate.
25% chance of your soulmate being the same gender as you.
10% chance of two soulmates. 5% chance of three soulmates. 2% of more than three.
There is a very high chance of you and your soulmate(s) just being friends. In recent studies, there has been an acceleration in the number of platonic soulmates.
The chance of not meeting your soulmate is high, but has dropped in the last couple of years due to an increase in traveling.
Every time Tsukishima Kei looks up anything about soulmates, the same information always appears. This information never tends to calm Tsukishima’s brain though. I mean, imagine being a thirteen-year-old boy just getting ready for the day and seeing “HELLO SOULMATE!” across his chest in a bright, warm golden color. Then that same dandelion-like color popped up around his body for the rest of the day.
“My name is Bokuto Kōtarō, I just turned 16! Today is September 20, if you didn't know.”
Tsukishima had quickly learned that Bokuto’s favorite pastime is to draw. Luckily, Bokuto had the decency not draw anything vulgar. He mostly stuck to hand and wrist art on school days and anywhere else when he had the time.
After Tsukishima’s fourteenth birthday, he grew quite fond of the art. He soon released the little art that normally told some sort of story. Stories he couldn't always understand.
Tsukishima got so used to the chaotic drawings that his mother and big brother started to ask what the best drawing of the day was.
November 17 wasn't a day Tsukishima thought was important until scarlet red appeared on his skin. “Hello, Bokuto, my name is Kuroo Tetsurō.”
After that day, the art doubled on his body, and words would appear and disappear as the two boys had lengthy conversations.
At dinner, Tsukishima's mother would giggle as she watched words appear then get wiped off to make more room for the boys' conversations. Tsukishima tried not to pay much attention to the conversation because it felt wrong to read a conversation that he wasn't a part of. Most of the time, his curiosity would win, though especially in the conversations about volleyball. Bokuto and Kuroo had frequent conversations about sports, but the longest conversation was when they found out their schools were going to a training camp together. Tsukishima read the dates of the camp, but he wasn't prepared for how bare his skin would be during that time. It made sense, the boys were finally able to talk face to face, of course, they wouldn't write on their bodies.
The boys learn more about each other for a whole year.
Tsukishima watched Bokuto's seventeenth birthday get celebrated, his fifteenth went by, and Kuroo’s seventeenth birthday go by too. Bokuto randomly mentions the best setter he ever met. Kuroo said he doubted that he could be better than his best friend, Kenma.
That was going as smoothly as it could with two chaotic boys. Then, on December 5, a beautiful cerulean blue appeared on Tsukishima’s skin.
“Akaashi Keiji,” was all it said, but apparently that was enough information for Bokuto.
“WHAT AKAASHIIII?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE MY SOULMATE?!”
“Because Bokuto-sa, I liked watching how you and Kuroo-san got to know each other. I wanted our first soulmate interaction to be between all three of us.”
“That's cute, but how do you guys know each other?” Kurro asked.
Akashi wiped off his arm, and the other followed suit.
“Kuroo! Akaashi is the setter I have been talking about!”
“Oh! Well, it is an honor to meet the best setter Bokuto has ever seen.”
“Pleasure to meet you too, Kuroo-san.”
The three boys got to know each other as Tsukishima watched with panicked eyes. He ran downstairs to his mom and brother and showed them the new color.
His mother was over the moon with joy, and added Akaashi to the calendar just like she did with the other two in the past.
Tsukishima's big brother teased him, “Always gotta win, don't ya Kei?”
Akiteru has two soulmates, but Kei quickly pointed out that Aki’s soulmates were the same age as him and went to the same school too. Kei’s soulmates sounded like they, maybe, were from the city. Also, Kei had to wait a whole ‘nother year before he could even write anything to his soulmates.
⋆ ---––——––------––——––--- ⋆
Christmas Day is a day to be joyful, thankful, and kind. It started strong. Kei's grandparents came for Christmas, and they enjoyed a big breakfast together in their comfy Christmas pajamas. When they were done eating, they were laughing and walking together to the living room to open the presents. Akiteru and Kei got the most presents, and they always made sure to thank whoever gave them the presents.
Kei opened his present from his grandparents, they had gotten him his own volleyball and pump. He jumped up and hugged them, “Thank you, thank you! Now I don't have to wait for Aki to pump his volleyball. I have my own!”
“Oh, you're very welcome, dear,” his grandma said.
His grandpa ruffled his hair, “I am just minusing one argument for my daughter to listen to.”
“Dad,” Kei's mom rolled her eyes at her father. She then points to the last box, “Boys, that one is for the both of you.”
Kei ran back to the middle of the living room as Akiteru grabbed the box.
“I bet I can rip more paper off than you can, Kei.”
“I strongly doubt that, Aki.”
The brothers rolled up the pajama shelves and started to rip the wrapping paper. They soon revealed a volleyball net. It was portable and looked like it would fit just right in the backyard.
Akiteru whooped, “Yes! I no longer have to aim for the basketball hoop when I visit, and Kei can practice with Tadashi when I am not here.”
“Thanks, Ma-” the brothers said at the same time, but their faces also dropped in unison.
Their mother's face went from pure joy to complete confusion. Until she looked past her dad to her mother.
Kei's grandmother's face looked of pure horror, and his grandfather looked like he was ready to dig his own grave. Kei's grandmother made a noise of disgust.
Aki reached for Kei’s sleeves and pulled them down as well as his own. It was too late though, their grandparents saw the colorful ‘Merry Christmas’s on both boys' arms.
It wasn't a secret that Kei's grandparents were among the few who didn't have a soulmate. That they married each other out of ‘pure’ love that wasn't ‘forced’ on them. It wasn't a secret that it was likely that they married each other so they wouldn't be lonely.
Kei's grandmother treated his mother like crap the first time she found out her daughter had a soulmate. And even worse when she found out her daughter was going to marry her soulmate.
Grandma Tsukishima huffs, “You boys know those ‘soulmates’ of yours are completely useless.”
“Mom,” Kei's mother tries to cut in, but her own mother ignores her.
“They'll leave you just like your father left. Completely alone with no one to care for you because no one actually cares.”
Their father is an Oceanographer and is constantly traveling. He sends money home so their mom doesn't have to work and can focus on the boys. So rage-filled Kei's mother and she stood up, “MOTHER! You will not tell my kids those lies!”
Her mother shot up, “YOU will NOT tell me what to do. No one can tell me what I do, not even the universe.” She laughed maniacally. Pushed her daughter aside and walked towards Kei. “Kei, darling, you're not even gonna be sixteen until next year! It's a whole year for your soulmates to get to know each other and ‘love’” she mimicked the word, “each other.”
“Grandma,” Akiteru tried to gently push his grandma away.
She dismissed him, “When they find out about you, they will think that their life is complete and they don't need another.”
The boy's mother walked around her mother to block Kei from seeing his grandmother anymore. “You will not project your sad life and how you view life on my children. You can leave now, mother.”
Their grandma looked ready to retort, but their grandpa pulled her out of the living room and to the front door.
Their mother followed them, ready for anything else. “Merry Christmas," were the last words she said as they left. She stood there and tried not to cry, but couldn't hold it back once she felt her boys hug her.
To say that day didn't hit the boys would be a lie. Fortunately, Akiteru was able to talk to his soulmates when school started again. They immediately shot down what his grandma said. Tenma and Saeko started to come over more often when Akiteru told them the story. They visited as much as college students could. Kei is pretty sure Saeko was hoping for their grandma to be there one day, and Tenma just wanted to prove the old woman wrong. He did, Kei has never seen a more in-sync couple in his life… Not that that was to say much, though he is only fifteen after all.
His brother’s beautiful bond with his soulmates was once crushed when they were in high school. The day a thirteen-year-old Kei found out that Akiteru was in the stands instead of on the court with Tenma. Akiteru and Tenma got into an argument after that game. The ace had no idea what Akiteru was telling Kei, or rather what he wasn’t telling Kei. Tenma didn’t visit for a while; he said it was because he had to study for college entrance exams. Everyone knew though, he was hurt just like Kei. Saeko took turns studying with the boys. She was the glue in the relationship. Two weeks before their graduation, she forced her boys to talk it out, and after that, Tenma started coming around again.
It’s been years since then. Kei stayed in his room when he wasn’t at practice or practicing with his friend Yamaguichi. He would read his soulmate's notes and started to add to their drawing. He even started to add to the conversations too. He knew they couldn’t see his add-ins, but he needed to talk to someone. He felt like he was part of their weird relationship. That just maybe his grandma was wrong, and they would welcome him with open arms. Just maybe…
⋆ ---––——––------––——––--- ⋆
“Well, look at that,” Tsukishima mumbled to himself. He just got out of the shower, pajama pants on, looking at himself in the mirror. He looked at the detailed blue wings that stretched across his chest. Akaashi must have gotten bored. It was fun seeing the differences in his soulmates' art styles. Kuroo tended to do line art, Bokuto did cartoon-type drawings, and Akaashi did all types. His realistic art was Tsukishima’s personal favorite. “I can hope, right?” he asked as the wings became more detailed.
His grandmother’s words echoed in his head, “When they find out about you, they will think that their life is complete and they don't need another.”
Tsukishima glared at nothing and grabbed his toothbrush. His mother and Akiteru always told him that his Grandma was wrong. He believed them at first, but as his birthday became closer, his Grandma’s voice plagued his thoughts more often. They slowly started to make more sense than any reason he had heard from anyone else.
“They’ll never love you,” another voice growled.
Tsukishima gasped and dropped his toothbrush. His grandma never said that before.
“No, but you know that’s what she meant.”
Tsukishima didn’t recognize the voice that now echoed throughout his head. The words felt like they were ricocheting in his skull. Tsukishima started to shake and let out a quiet, “Shut up.”
“They have each other… They have each other… They have each other… They don’t need you… They don’t need you… They don’t need you…”
He crumbled, curling in a ball on the floor, his back hitting the tub. “S-shut up, you- you don’t know t-that,” he whispered as his fingers found his hair. Fighting for the light his mother so desperately tried to show him.
“What would she know? When was the last time you saw your father in person?”
Tsukishima raked through his memories. He couldn't remember; his most recent memories of his father were from the video calls. Those were rare because his dad was always on the water.
“Your soulmates will leave you, like your father did to your mother.”
“No, he… he didn’t leave us.”
“Ha! Yeah, that's why you ‘always’ see him. Oh, wait, you don’t see him. I bet he hates you, that must be why he never takes a break and comes home.”
Tsukishima curled into himself tighter, the world blurring around him, “He doesn’t hate me.” He knew that, he was so sure his father didn’t hate him. He just knew…
“They’ll hate you if you try to join them.”
“What?” Tsukishima sobbed. He couldn’t feel the tears, but he could taste them as they fell to his lips.
“They’ll hate you. You’ll ruin their relationship if they find out about you. You have seen their happy conversations. They don’t need you, Kei.”
Kei cried himself to sleep that night. The awful words kept reminding me how worthless he is. How he isn’t needed by anyone, much less by his soulmates?
“She’s right, they don’t need another.”